(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a valve of a manually operable trigger sprayer. In particular, the present invention pertains to a trigger sprayer valve positioned in a liquid passage communicating the pump of the sprayer with the nozzle exit port of the sprayer where the valve is constructed with a flexible, conical flange that controls the flow of liquid through the trigger sprayer in the downstream direction while preventing return, upstream liquid flow. In addition, the valve is constructed with an extended shaft projecting from the conical flange that facilitates the assembly of the valve into the sprayer housing of the trigger sprayer.
(2) Description of the Related Art
The prior art related to atomizers and trigger sprayers includes the following U.S. Patents.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,900,087 to Aronson teaches an atomizer in which the operating elements are locked when the device is not in use, thereby preventing objectionable unintentional discharge of the contents of the atomizer.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,913,841 to Tada shows a sprayer which applies a suction to a liquid and dispenses or squirts the liquid in an atomized form by applying a pressure to the liquid. The sprayer includes a piston which defines a liquid chamber in combination with a cylinder portion of the sprayer. When the piston is reciprocated and moved into proximity to a closed end wall of the cylinder, the volume of the liquid chamber formed by the piston and cylinder is minimized, thereby resulting in a high pressure discharge or squirting of the liquid from the chamber.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,646,973 to Focaracci shows a sprayer for producing a foam from a spray of liquid mixed in air. An interrupter is located in the path of a controlled portion of the outer periphery of a continuous stream of liquid dispensed by the sprayer. By controlling the amount of peripheral flow of the liquid impinged upon by the interrupter in the stream periphery, turbulence is created in the liquid with consequent pressure drop and ingress of counter-flowing ambient air which mixes with the liquid and causes foaming of the liquid dispensed by the sprayer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,779 to Blake shows a device for producing foam from liquid dispensed from the device which incorporates a porous element.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,156,307 to Calillahan et al. shows a dispenser which has a circular mixing chamber positioned intermediately in front of a mixing nozzle. A first channel leads into the mixing chamber from material located in a squeezable container. A second channel leads into the mixing chamber from an air space. A sieve covers the outlet channel.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,233 to Foster et al. shows a nozzle assembly with a foam-inducing tube in front of the nozzle outlet orifice. A door is provided with an elongated pin having a convex tip for sealing the outlet orifice.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,340,031 to Neuhaus et al. shows a foaming head and includes a discharge nozzle which has a deflecting plate having passage slits which open out radially to an outlet slit.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,344,070 to Tasaki et al. shows a foaming nozzle which is shaped so that the foam is ejected in the form of a band which may be elliptical, rectangular or triangular in shape. The foam is formed by the impingement of a liquid mist upon an inner face of the mouth of the foaming nozzle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,366,160 to Balderama shows a foamer nozzle which incorporates opposing pairs of spaced apart looped ribs which are in a plane downstream from the discharge orifice. The ribs are tear-dropped shaped in cross section and have a pair of spaced legs which define an opening.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,389 to Knickerbocker shows an orifice device which incorporates a spin chamber communicating with the terminal orifice. A plurality of feed channels communicate with this spin chamber for the purpose of spinning the spray product within the spin chamber prior to discharge.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,647,539 to Dobbs et al. shows an assembly which incorporates a foam enhancer chamber having a plurality of ribs which define uniform openings. The ribs have flat surfaces which are perpendicular to the inner wall of the chamber for the purpose of generating foam as foam bubbles impact against the ribs to mix with air.
Despite the various developments in the prior art, there remains a need for a nozzle which can easily and reversibly switch from operation in a foam dispensing mode to operation in a spray dispensing mode. In addition, there remains a need for a valve of a trigger sprayer that controls the flow of liquid in a downstream direction from the manually operated pump of the trigger sprayer to the nozzle exit port of the trigger sprayer while preventing the reverse direction flow of liquid through the trigger sprayer where the valve is constructed to be easily assembled into a liquid passage of the trigger sprayer housing.
The present invention provides a telescoping foamer nozzle which can be easily and reversibly switched from a foam dispensing mode of operation to a spray dispensing mode of operation.
The present invention also provides a telescoping foamer nozzle in which a foamer tube projects forward of a dispensing orifice when in the foam dispensing mode of operation.
The present invention also provides a telescoping foamer nozzle that has a relatively small number of component parts resulting in reliable long-term operation.
The present invention also provides a telescoping nozzle that has a relatively small number of component parts which can be manufactured easily in volume resulting in a relatively low unit cost.
The present invention also provides a valve that controls the flow of liquid in a downstream direction from a pump of the trigger sprayer to a nozzle exit port of the trigger sprayer where the valve is constructed to be easily assembled into the trigger sprayer.
The present invention also provides a sprayer housing construction with a liquid discharge passage that is easily assessable through a liquid discharge opening in the sprayer housing that communicates with the liquid discharge passage for assembly of the valve of the invention into the liquid discharge passage.
The present invention also provides the valve with an extended stem or shaft that has a length that extends the shaft beyond the liquid discharge passage opening of the sprayer housing when the valve is assembled into the liquid discharge passage, facilitating the assembly of the valve into the liquid discharge passage.
These and other advantages of the present invention will appear more clearly hereinafter.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a telescoping foamer nozzle which includes a nozzle member which has a feed tube connected to a supply of spray material. A cap member is rotationally mounted on the nozzle member. The cap member may be rotated relative to the nozzle member from an off-position to a foam-position with continued rotation in the same direction bringing the cap member to a spray-position and then a second foam-position and then to the off-position. The cap member supports a foam tube which includes a cam boss which engages a cam groove formed in the nozzle member.
Rotation of the cap member drives the foam tube. The cam groove and cam boss drive the foam tube from a retracted position in which the cap member is in one of its off-position or spray-position, to an extended position projecting forward of the discharge nozzle in which the cap is in one of its two foam-positions. The cap includes indicia which clearly mark the off-position, the foam-position, the spray-position and the further foam-position. The cap is proportioned to fit flush against the nozzle in each of the operating positions.